When Judy Tinker first heard she’d be part of the new Lowe’s Style Studio in-store pilot, she was intrigued—but honest. “The last time I did anything even close to this was playing Pong,” she laughed. “And that was a long time ago.”
Still, she jumped at the opportunity. One of just seven associates selected to lead the pilot across Austin-area stores, Judy brought with her four decades of experience in kitchen, cabinet, and countertop design, Judy knows her way around a kitchen better than most. And when a new tool was coming to her store that would help bring customers' dream kitchens to life in a completely new way, she was all in.
In March, Lowe’s launched Lowe’s Style Studio for Apple Vision Pro in five Austin-area stores as part of a limited-time pilot. The experience is designed to help kitchen specialists guide customers through immersive, 3D kitchen visualizations—powered by utilizing Apple Vision Pro’s groundbreaking spatial computer. Apple Vision Pro is a spatial computer that blends digital content with the physical world and allows customers to interact using just use their eyes and hands to interact with digital content. It’s intuitive, immersive, and unlike anything that’s come before.
That level of innovation called for a different kind of preparation. So, before the pilot began, associates from each store were invited to a one-day training session at Apple’s campus in Austin. Led by Lowe’s Innovation Labs—with support from Apple—,the session gave associates the chance to explore the technology hands-on, ask questions, and build the confidence they’d need to guide customers through the experience.
Judy came into training with a clear mandate from her store manager, Michael Ybarra: “You’re representing us.” She took it to heart—raising her hand, asking questions, and diving into the experience. Today, she’s not only fluent in the new tool—she was the first in her store to lead a customer through the full design journey.“When I was asked to run the experience start to finish with a customer, it was very emotional,” she said. “It felt like everything lined up perfectly. I had the right customer, the right moment. I actually had tears at the end because it was just so moving.”
For Judy, the technology is exciting—but it’s always been about the customer.“My philosophy's always been that I'm here for the customer. That’s my job. That’s why I come to Lowe’s and enter the building every day. I am here for the customer.”
Judy’s passion—and her willingness to embrace something entirely new—hasn’t gone unnoticed.“Judy is making an incredible impact,” said Cheryl Friedman, Vice President of Innovation at Lowe’s. “She brought her deep kitchen expertise and paired it with a brand-new way of working—and that takes courage. We’ve been impressed by the whole team of associates across our pilot stores. Their feedback, their excitement, and their commitment have been instrumental in bringing this experience to life.”
While the pilot is still in its early days, Judy says the technology has already become an empowering tool—for her and her customers.
